Typewriting machine



May 10,1932. w. F. HELMOND TYPEWRITING' MACHINE Filed July 16, 1929 Patented May 10, 1932 D STATES WELLIAM HELMOND, OF WEST HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO UNDER- WOOD ELLIOTT FIST-IE3 GOMPANY, OF NEVT YORK, Y., A CORPORATION OF DELA- WARE 1 TYPEWRITING MACHINE Application fihd July 16, 1929. Serial No. 378,657.

This invention relates to typewriting machines, and it has particular reference to gages used on such machines.

The Underwood typewriting machine of the fan-fold billing type is constructed to accommodate long webs or sheetsfhaving printed thereon linear series of forms to be filled in on the typewriter. Each form, after being typed, is torn from the web by pulling it against a knife, and in order to quickly position the lower end of the typed form at the knife, its upper end is pulled against a stop on a gage. The gage of this invention is primarily used for the aforementioned purpose, but it may also be employed for other positioning purposes, and it further serves as a rest for the form being typed.

Since the mentioned printed forms on dif-' ferent webs may vary in length, the gage is made adjustable. i

In the illustrated form of this invention,

a table which is securable to the platen-frame acts as a guide for a gage-strip or plate, and to that end, the table has a slotted upturned end portion through which the slid-able gagestrip or plate passes, and in which itis rather snugly fitted to prevent sidewise and twisting motion. The gage-plate is pressed intoslidable contactwith the table-by means of a spring which is preferably of the leaf type. 1

The spring is normally under tension by virtue of a pressure exerted on it and functions to rather firmly bind together the table and the gage-strip, and thereby prevents their inadvertent relative motion before they are finally jammed together by means hereinafter described. The spring is held to the'table by means of a pair of pins or studs secured thereto and disposed at the side edges of the 4,0 gage-plate, to form guides for the latter.

Pressure is applied to the gage-plate or strip by a pressure-member in the form of a lever having a cross-bar portionthat eX- tends the full width of the gage-plate. This pressure-lever is mounted on the mentioned guide-pins or studs. The pressure-lever fits loosely upon the studs, which function as bearmgs or pivots and allow the pressurelever to be rocked- The lever has an ex: tended arm to which pressure may be applied. The application of pressure to the long arm of the lever is effective to give a lever-action to the short arm thereof, so that the latter exerts a pressure to bind or jam the gage-plate and clutch it to the table. The means hereinafter illustrated as beingeffective to exert a pressure on the long arm of the lever is a clamping or looking screw. The lower end of this screw preferably contacts with the gage-plate, so. that the screwitself has an additional.binding action upon the latter. It will thus be seen that very effective means are provided for prevent-ing the movement of the gage-plate when the screw is tightened, the efieotive binding means including the short arm of the lever and also the point of the screw itself. I The mentioned binding means are so effective that only a ther, the tightening and loosening of the.

screw to a sufiicient degree is made easier for the typist.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear. I

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 1s a fragmentary perspective View of an Underwoodfan-fold machine with my invention applied thereto. a

Figure 2 is a sectional side view of the parts shown in Figure 1, with the platen in typing position.

Figure 3 is an enlarged. perspective View of the telescopic gage.

Figure 4 is a similar view to Figure 3, but showing the-gage extended to its extreme position, and the means to stop it at said position.

Figure 5 is a side view, partly in section, showing the clamping means in released position.

Figure 6 is a similar view to Figure 5, but showing the clamping means in its effective position. i

10 is a gage-device, which is'secured at its lower end toa web supporting and guiding shelf 11 on a pivoted platen-frame 12 which bears directly on the gage-plate 31..

is constructed to be swung forwardly until the gage-device extends toward the typist and is substantially horizontal, this action being necessary to allow readjustment, on fan-fold machines, of the carbon-sheets relative to the work and copy sheets. lVhen the gage-device 10 is in the mentioned forwardlyextending position, a form to be torn from the web 13 may be pulled forwardly until its leading edge contacts the gage 14 on' gage-device 10, the gage lt'having been previously so positioned that the loweredge or" the form is at a knife 15 when the leading edge contacts with the gage.

The swingable platen-frame 12 is fixed on a rod-16 v which is mounted in side members 17 of-the carriage-frame 18. Pinions 19 mesh with agear 20 which is fixed on a platen-shaft 21 carrying a platen 22, the latter being rotatable by the turning of a knob 23 which rotates a gear 24 meshing with the pinions 19. The usual line-space mechanism is, of course, also provided to turn the platen. Theplaten-frame is held in its normal position by a detent 25 engaging a lug'26, the detent being fixed on a shaft 27 mounted in the stationary side members 17 of the carriage-frame 18. The detent 25v is normally. pressed forward by a spring 28 into engagement with the lug 26 which is fixed to a side plate 12 of the platen-frame 12. \Vhen it.

is desiredtoswing the platen-frame forwardly, a backward pressure is exerted against a finger-piece 29 on an extension of the detent 25, the pressure being exerted against the tension of the spring 28,'whereupon the detent is released from engagement with the lug 26, leaving the platen-frame 12' free to. be swung forwardly.

: Gage strip.- or plate31is slidable upon the:

fixed table 30, which is secured toetlie. in.- clined web-supporting shelf 11,. and. extends upwardly and backwardly therefrom.v The.

free end of the table or strip 30,is turnedback I at right angles to the. mainportionforming a lip 32. Portions-and 3l form the worktable 10. Lip 32 is provided with a slot33 through which .passesthe gage strip or'plate 31, the sides Ofthe lip adjacentthe slot serving as guides for the plate, to prevent side.

gage-plate, so-thatwhen its raised or elevated 7 portion is pressed against the plate 3 1,.it exe-rts 1a bhiding' action whichpvre'ventsinadvertsin pressure-exerting position by the studs or pin-heads.

Apressure-member or lever 37 extends entirely across the spring 36, and is loosely mounted on the pins 3e, whereby it may be rocked thereon, the pins thus acting as pivots,

and the pressure-member having a lever-action. In order to appl extra pressure for se-' curely clamping toget 1er the gage-plate 31 and the table 30 after the gage has been set in the desired position, the pressure-member orlever is provided witha long lever-arm 38 which is engaged by a screw 39. When the screw is turned until its peened end contacts with the gage-plate 31, a further turning of the screw is efiective to rock the lever on the pivot-pins 34luntil the short arm of the lever is clamped tightly or jammed down on the gage-plate, the former and the latter, as well as the screw,'thus combining to rigidly clutch the. gage-plate to the fixed table. The short arm of the lever is seen at 37, Figure 6, its right-hand. corner pressing the gage-plate down against the table 30.

' To prevent the gage-plate 31 from being accidentally moved beyond the spring 36, it is provided, adjacent its lower end, with an aperture 4:0, into which the free end d1 of the pressed spring 36 enters. The spring abuts against the edge 42 adjacent the aperture which edge thus acts as a stop- If it is del siredto Withdraw the gageplatefrom the table, it is only necessary to raise thev spring out of the aperture.

. Variations may be resorted to within the scope of the invention, and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

Having. thus described my invention, I claim:

i 1.. An adjustable gage-device for av typewritingmachine, including, in combmation, a table, a gage-plate slidable relatively there to, a spring resiliently pressing said gageplate to said table, a pressure-member having a lever-action and formed with long and short arms, means for applying force to thelo a. pair of pins secured. to said table for 'guidmg said gage-plate and for supporting said spring and loosely supporting said pressuremember, a gage for the leading edge of a work-sheet at the end of said gage-plate, and a stop at its lower end contactible with said spring for limiting the adjustment of said gage-plate.

3. In a typewriting machine, the combination with paper-guiding devices, of a sheetedge gage in the form of a plate having a gage at one end, a table on which said gageplate is adjustable longitudinally, and mechanism for clutching said gage-plate to said table, including abearing fixed upon the table and a lever loosely engaging said bearing and having a short arm for amming the gage-plate against the table, and also having a substantially longer arm into which is threaded a thumb-screw, for tightening the clutch, whereby moderate force, applied in rotating the screw, causes the gage-plate to clutch the table firmly.

a. In a typewriting machine, the combination with paper-guiding devices, of a sheetedge gage in the form of a plate having a gage at one end, a table on which said gageplate is adjustable longitudinally, and mechanism for clutching said gage-plate to said table, including a bearing fixed upon the table and a lever loosely engaging said bearing and having a short arm for jamming the gageplate against the table, and also having a substantially longer arm into which is threaded a thumb-screw, for tightening the clutch, whereby moderate force, applied in rotating the screw, causes the gage-plate to clutch the table firmly, said screw bearing directly upon said plate, to produce additional pressure between the plate and the table.

5. In a typewriting machine, the combination with paper-guiding devices, of a sheetedge gage in the form of a plate having a gage at one end, a table on which said gage-plate is adjustable longitudinally, and mechanism for clutching said gage-plate to said table, including a bearing fixed upon the table and a lever loosely engaging said bearing and having a short arm for jamming the gageplate against the table, and also having a substantially longer arm into which is threaded a thumb-screw, for tightening the clutch, whereby moderate force, applied in rotat ing the screw, causes the gage-plate to clutch the table firmly, and a spring between said lever and said gage-plate to press the latter constantly against the table, and oppose movement of the gage-plate along the table.

6. In a typewritin machine, the combination with paper-gui ing devices, of a sheetedge gage in the form of a plate having a gage at one end, a table on which said gageplate is adjustable longitudinally, mecha-- nism for clutching said gage-plate to said table, including a bearing fixed upon the table and a lever loosely engaging said ,bearlng and having a short arm for amming the gageplate against the table, and also having a substantially longer arm into which is threaded a thumb-screw, for tightening thetion with paper-guiding devices, of a sheet edge gage in the form of a plate having a gage at one end, a table on which saidgage-plate is adjustable longitudinally, and mechanism for clutching said gage-plate to said table, including a bearing fixed upon the table and a lever loosely engaging said bearing and havmg a short arm for amming the gage-plate against the table, and also having a substantially longer arm into which is threaded a thumb-screw, for tightening the clutch,

whereby moderate force, applied in rotating the screw, causes the gage-plate to clutch the table ,firmly, said bearing in the form of a stud riveted to said table and having a head under which said lever bears, the lever rocking upon the stud.

8. In a typewr'iting machine, the combination with paper-guiding devices, of a sheetedge gage in the form of a plate having a gage at one end, a table on which said gage-plate is adjustable longitudinally, a pair of headed studs on said table, a lever having perforated ears at opposite sides for loosely engaging said headed studs, said lever having a long arm and a short arm, and said plate inserted between said lever and said table and lying between said studs, and adjustable means upon'said arm to press the plate against the table, to cause the short arm of said lever to jam said plate forcibly against said table at the opposite side of said studs from said long arm.

9. In a typewriting machine, the combination with paper-guiding devices, ofa sheetedge gage in the form of a plate having a gage at one end, a table on which said gage-plate is adjustable longitudinally, a pair of headed studs on said table, a lever having perforated ears at opposite sides for loosely engaging said headed studs, said lever having a long plate to press'the latter constantly againstthe table, and oppose movement of the gageplate along the table, said spring being bowed and confined between said lever and; said plate, the free end of the spring pressingthe lever, against the gage-plate for frictionally opposing adjustment of the gage-plate along the table. V o

10. In a typewriting machine, the combina tion with paper-guiding devices, of a sheetedge'gage in the form of a plate having a gage at one end, a table on which said gage-plate is adjustable longitudinally, mechanism for clutching said gage-plate to said'table, in-

I eluding a bearing fixed uponthe table and a lever loosely engaging said bearing and having a short armfor jamming the gage-plate against the table, and also having a substantially longer arm into which is threaded a .thumbscrew, for tightening the clutch,

whereby moderate force, applied in rotating the screw, causes the gage-plate to clutch the table firmly, and a spring between said lever and said gage-plate to press the latter constantly against the table, and oppose movement of the gage-plate along the table, said spring being bowed and confined between said v lever and said plate, the free end of the spring pressing against the gage-plate for frictionally opposing movement of the gage-plate along the table, when the thumb-screw is loose, said gage-plate having a depression into which said spring enters, said depression having a stop engaged by said spring to limit the range of adjustment of said gage-plate. WILLIAM 'F. HELMOND. 

